Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

evidence in Ingomar (a play he admired ; re.-.tly) oi I isu
Anderson ( s excoptional range, and the latter printeo a
review by "D.C.", of embarrisoin^ kindness (ij . u 3 oeptember,
_ 5 September).
The first of the new-comer's productions had be~n as
olaf;shioneu as any 01 Irving's plays, but The Lady of Lyons.
which folloiea, v;as even older, fehen it was first produced,
in 183f>, Bul.ver's pi; y had been recognised ts a strong
actin^ piece with faults. Richard Ilenbist Horno, a vellaisposud
critic, had praised in 1L44 the sentimental and
morel truth of the story, the "easy flov, of the ai, lo^ue",
and the manner in which the whole was "just sufficiently
clothed in an atmosphere 01 poetry to take it out of the
mere prose of existe >co, v/ithout calling upon th- imagination
for any efiort to comprehend it". But i e reluctantly illo«;cu
th; t the plot nw uld not be. r examination by ciny hi^ii
strndc.rd" . By the 'ei^.tius, the play*s "poetry" h&o lost
its appeal - Archer, in g.n,,Iish lirarn; tists of Today clispar- >: ec
"the pinchbeck sorrows of Pauline", and even The Pal.l i-.all
Uazetv-e. i/hose roviu.:or so enjoyed In-,onrr» was able to
ofier only t e poor orcuse of its being a t .ooa actin, pity
as e palliative fjr its "mock sentiment,...tinsel ;hilosophy,
and...shaf poetry" . To a aecaoo 'hich was ,»o lo,i,,ui- satisfied
with Robertsoa, Bul.«ur f s rf^Gctations were scarcoly t-jler;. ble,
but the ol ay renainod in provincial repertoires, rau v;as
seen occasionally in London.
12
v.hen Bar^ett procuced it at
a matinee in liti t The ncrcipr^ coia >li inud of "the v.jry
secona-rate u; lity oi the ooutry" and tL'6 "w: .it of
verisimlitude" in some oi the cL.r.cters, but acmitt..o tact,
well-ilayed, the piecu retoinec L certain vit iity. The
corre ^poncient of The 1\^;.. tru cecioet. t:i^ t ti.u -..•trr.ti': a.ad
emotion of tiu ,/art .-ore missoa a.ici that the playing, ta->u0h
"con-jet", c.id rut carry any convictim:
Oh, rain^ es th^ lady nay bo, both in look ano
^osturo, GL-j i^ certainly v.antiiv i-^ thst inexplicable
impulsivonos:-:, that absolute aba.no.on.. leat
oi consciousnes_ anc; s^lf-_..ossessioa, x;itiiout
v/hicii alt actir._must a .pear false cac untrue.
(n.s.Vi ( L .jc, ; ber, UO) j21-,.: 3^ 1).